Former USC coach sues NCAA

Football

Former USC coach sues NCAA

LOS ANGELES -- Former Southern California assistant coach Todd McNair has sued the NCAA, accusing the collegiate governing body of libel, slander and misconduct in its investigation of the Reggie Bush case.

McNair is seeking unspecified punitive damages from the NCAA in the lawsuit that was filed Friday.

McNair was punished for what the NCAA claimed was his role in the scandal surrounding the Heisman Trophy-winning tailback. The NCAA claimed he knew about some of the gifts lavished on Bush's family by two aspiring sports marketers hoping to land Bush as a client.

McNair's lawsuit claims the NCAA's investigation was one-sided and that he wasn't allowed to cross-examine witnesses. It asks the judge to strike down the NCAA rules that the organization used in ruling against McNair.

The lawsuit also claims that McNair's future economic opportunities were interfered with and that his career as a college football coach was damaged.